Production of maleic or fumaric acid from levulinic acid

Abstract

The production of maleic acid and fumaric acid (or the anhydride form of either, maleic anhydride) via gas-phase, oxidative cleavage of levulinic acid in a single packed bed reactor over a reducible oxide catalyst. The production may be carried out in an initial mixing vessel into which levulinic acid is continuously charged and mixed with both inert (He, N2, Ar, etc.) and oxidizing (O2, air, etc.) gases. The feed stream can then be safely heated to reaction temperature, which generally ranges from 200-500° C., without initiating polymerization, in a second stage preheater that thermally equilibrates the gaseous mixture of LA, O2, and inert diluent and fed to a third stage catalytic reactor for final processing.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 924736, filed on Jan. 8, 2014.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to the production of maleic acid, its isomer fumaric acid, the anhydride of either maleic or fumaric acid (maleic anhydride) and, more particularly, the oxidation of levulinic acid to yield maleic acid, fumaric acid, or maleic anhydride.[0004]2. Description of the Related Art[0005]Concern over diminishing fossil reserves has increased interest in the production of industrial commodities (transportation fuels, commodity chemicals, etc.) from biomass resources. In particular, lignocellulosics (e.g., woody biomass) are viewed as an ideal alternative source of industrial carbon (i.e., alternative to petroleum) since they are abundant, easily cultivated, often grow on marginal land, and require minimal resource inputs compared to conventional f...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention describes an alternative approach for upgrading coffee cherry oil to a commercially viable level. This involves the production of maleic acid, fumaric acid, or their anhydride forms through a gas-phase, oxidative cleavage of levulinic acid in a single packed bed reactor over a reducible oxide catalyst. The invention also includes an apparatus designed to carry out the transformation. By utilizing this approach, a large profit margin can be realized, enabling the production of a biorefinery based on coffee cherry oil.

Problems solved by technology

Despite the interest in establishing lignocellulosic biorefineries on a large scale, no technologies have to date proven cost effective.

The source of the lack of economic viability despite a myriad of potential options for biomass processing is complex; however, it can be generally summarized as a tension between the ease of converting biomass to a potentially useful industrial commodity and the revenue that can be generated from said product.

In general, transportation fuels are a difficult market to enter as lignocellulosic fuels must compete with relatively low cost petroleum and a well-optimized refinery structure built around the large scale production of transportation fuels.

Despite large markets in the transportation sector, biofuels—particularly lignocellulosic biofuels—have been unable to compete with conventional fuels.

Further, they are unlikely to be competitive with petroleum-based fuels for the foreseeable future.

As such, lignocellulosic fuels will likely remain prohibitively expensive in the near term.

In contrast, chemical products are relatively difficult to derive from petroleum and generally offer higher profit margins.

Presently, LA is a relatively expensive chemical intermediate, and no existing industry relies on this molecule as a precursor; as such, despite its straightforward production, there are presently no large scale off-takers for LA, and development of the industry has largely stalled despite its promise.

Much of the effort has pursued efficient production of transportation fuels from LA; however, no matter how efficient the upgrading, LA-based fuels are not yet competitive with petroleum derived alternatives.

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